New Calls for Assault-Gun Ban

Gun-control activists have renewed calls for the federal government to reinstate a ban on so-called assault weapons in the wake of Tuesday's deadly shooting rampage in Alabama.

Stricter national gun-control laws face dim prospects in Washington, however, despite Democratic control of Congress and the White House.

Gun sales have soared in the months since the presidential election, due in part to fears among gun owners that President Barack Obama intends to ban assault weapons, or guns that can fire rounds more quickly than standard weapons.

These two assault rifles are the models used by the Alabama gunman: At top, the Bushmaster M-4. Below, the SKS.
Corey Dade/The Wall Street Journal

In November, a record 1,529,635 background checks were performed on firearms sales, up 42% from the same period a year earlier, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation. A 24% year-over-year increase followed in December, with similar increases so far this year.

Background checks are considered a measure of sales because they are required during any sale of a new weapon from a federally licensed retailer, or if a weapon is sold or reclaimed from a pawn shop.

While Mr. Obama supports reinstating the assault-weapons ban, he also is confronting numerous other matters, such as the economy and health care.

He also would face stiff opposition in Congress from his own party. In recent weeks, powerful Democrats, including Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D., Nev.) and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.), have expressed opposition to renewing the federal assault-weapons ban, which was enacted in 1994 under President Bill Clinton. The ban bars the sale of certain semiautomatic weapons. The law expired in 2004.

Earlier this month, the two Democratic senators from Montana, Max Baucus and Jon Tester, wrote to Attorney General Eric Holder after Mr. Holder suggested a ban would help reduce drug violence in Mexico by preventing the flow of assault rifles across the border. Their letter urged the Justice Department to "enforce existing laws before it considers imposing any new restrictions on gun ownership."

"Democrats have finally gotten it," said Larry Sabato, director of the University of Virginia's Center for Politics. "The message they've gotten is if they become gun-control advocates, they are going to suffer at the polls."

Mr. Reid is expected to face a stiff 2010 re-election fight in a state famous for its fondness for guns. A spokesman for Mr. Reid said Thursday that the senator voted against the ban in 1994, opposed its renewal in 2004 and "would not support it if the Senate votes on it in the future."

Gun-control advocates say Tuesday's bloody spree, in which 28-year-old Michael McLendon killed 10 people in southeastern Alabama before committing suicide, offers strong evidence of the need for an assault-weapons ban. Mr. McLendon used two assault rifles&mdash;an SKS and a Bushmaster&mdash;along with a shotgun and a .38-caliber handgun to fell his victims, according to the Alabama Department of Public Safety. He appeared to overwhelm police in an area where many citizens also own guns, for hunting or self-defense.

The weapons used in the Alabama shootings "are military-bred firearms developed for the specific purpose of killing human beings quickly and efficiently," wrote a coalition of groups, including the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, in a joint release on Wednesday. "Today we call on the U.S. Congress to pass a federal assault weapons ban."

On Thursday, the office of U.S. Rep. Carolyn McCarthy of Long Island, whose husband was killed by a deranged gunman on the Long Island Rail Road in 1993, said she intends to introduce a bill that would reinstitute a version of the 1994 assault-weapons ban.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D., Calif.) said she is considering introducing a bill to renew the ban "with the recognition that it will be an uphill fight."

Under current federal law, anyone over 18 years old can buy a semiautomatic assault rifle from a licensed gun dealer as long as the buyer passes a background check verifying that he or she isn't a convicted felon or mentally ill, among other things. Unlicensed dealers, such as those at gun shows, may sell semiautomatic assault rifles to anyone of any age without conducting a background check.

Gun owners in Alabama are required to possess a license only for carrying a concealed handgun. Mr. McLendon had a concealed-weapons handgun permit, according to a spokeswoman for the Geneva, Ala., police department.

Whether the expired federal law would have banned the particular semiautomatic assault rifles that Mr. McLendon is alleged to have used is unclear. The law banned certain specific types of weapons, including TEC-9s and Uzis, as well as "copy" or "duplicate" weapons.

People seeking to stock up on the types of weapons that would likely be targeted by any ban&mdash;semiautomatic weapons, sometimes known as "black guns" or "black rifles"&mdash;have flocked to purchase them.

"The manufacturers are having a hard time filling orders for black guns and the retailers are having difficulty replenishing their inventory," said Rob Southwick, president of Southwick Associates, a fish and wildlife economics research firm in Fernandina Beach, Fla.

Corrections & Amplifications Some versions of this article inaccurately described private individuals who under federal law are allowed to sell firearms from their personal gun collections without performing background checks on the buyers. Those sellers of guns should have been referred to as unlicensed sellers of weapons, rather than as unlicensed "dealers." The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms generally uses the term "dealer" to describe sellers of guns who have obtained federal licenses to sell firearms commercially.

WSJ opens select articles to reader conversation to promote thoughtful dialogue. See the 'Join the Conversation' area to the rightbelow for stories open to conversation. For more information, please reference our community guidelines. Email feedback and questions to moderator@wsj.com.